Is the type and location of grocery stores a predictor of healthy and unhealthy food availability? A cross-sectional study

Food Outlet Density, Distance, and Food Quality Offered to Preschool-Aged Children at Family Child Care Homes

OBJECTIVE

To examine how food environments around family child care homes (FCCHs) are associated with the healthfulness of foods served to children.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional data from a mail survey of FCCH providers, InfoUSA.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included 132 Mississippi FCCHs (26% response).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Dependent: compliance with nutrition best practices for 9 food categories; composite healthfulness score. Independent: counts of supermarkets, small-medium grocery stores, produce stores, convenience stores within 5 miles; distance to supermarket.

ANALYSIS

Logistic regression estimated associations between best-practice compliance and food environment. Linear regression estimated associations between composite food healthfulness and food environment. Models stratified by rural/urban location.

RESULTS

Rural FCCHs with higher counts of supermarkets, convenience stores, and produce stores had lower compliance with selected best practices (fried/prefried potatoes, high-sugar/high-fat foods). Urban FCCHs with more supermarkets had higher compliance with fruit not canned in syrup; those with more small-medium grocery stores and convenience stores had lower compliance with selected best practices (fried/prefried potatoes, vegetables, low-fat meats).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Food environment measures were associated with some nutrition best practices, though not consistently in the expected direction. Future research could examine food quality at stores near rural FCCHs. Programs that improve local food environments may improve foods served at FCCHs.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Food Supply and Demand in Australia: Utilising Group Model Building to Identify Retailer and Customer Perspectives

Prior to the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19, 70% of Australians' food purchases were from supermarkets. Rural communities experience challenges accessing healthy food, which drives health inequalities. This study explores the impact of COVID-19 on food supply and purchasing behaviour in a rural supermarket. Group model building workshops explored food supply experiences during COVID-19 in a rural Australian community with one supermarket. We asked three supermarket retailers "What are the current drivers of food supply into this supermarket environment?" and, separately, 33 customers: "What are the current drivers of purchases in this supermarket environment?" Causal loop diagrams were co-created with participants in real time with themes drawn afterwards from coded transcripts. Retailers' experience of COVID-19 included 'empty shelves' attributed to media and government messaging, product unavailability, and community fear. Customers reported fear of contracting COVID-19, unavailability of food, and government restrictions resulting in cooking more meals at home, as influences on purchasing behaviour. Supermarket management and customers demonstrated adaptability and resilience to normalise demand and combat reduced supply.